Brickbat Books

All items listed and reviewed are available for purchase directly from Brickbat Books, although quantities are limited. Brickbat Books is located at 709 South Fourth Street, in the heart of Fabric Row, in Philadelphia.

The anthology presents
translations of literary works that imaginatively engage pivotal issues
in today’s Ukraine and express its tribulations and jubilations.

Featuring poetry, fiction, and essays by fifteen Ukrainian writers, the
anthology offers English-language readers a wide array of the most
beguiling literature written in Ukraine in the past fifty years.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Jenn McCreary is a Philadelphia poet. She serves as president
of the board of directors for Small Press Traffic, a San Francisco-based
nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to provide a local and
national platform for experimental writing. She is also the author of
three books of poetry, several chapbooks, and in 2013 was named a Pew
Fellow in the Arts.

Orchid
Tierney is from New Zealand-Aotearoa, currently residing in
Philadelphia. Her chapbooks include Brachiation (Dunedin: GumTree Press,
2012) and The World in Small Parts (Chicago: Dancing Girl Press, 2012),
and a full length sound translation of the Book of Margery Kempe,
Earsay (TrollThread, 2016). Other work has appeared in Bathhouse
Journal, Pacific Literary Review, Empty Mirror and elsewhere. She
co-edits Supplement, an annual anthology on Philadelphia writing.

Amanda
Silberling will graduate from the University of Pennsylvania this
spring and is generally nervous about that. An interdisciplinary
text-based artist, her poems and not-poems have appeared in The Rumpus,
Paper Magazine, Consequence of Sound, Reality Beach, decomP, and others.
Her first film "We're Here, We're Present: Women in Punk" debuted this
summer on VICE. For more info, visit amandasilberling.com.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

While the sheer virtuosity of ‘Solo Guitar’ is certainly a large part of
its charm, more important is Fosson’s ability to weave memorable and
articulate melodies. Without a clear sense of direction, solo
instrumentation can risk meandering somewhat – but not here. There’s a
clear sense of focus throughout the album, Fosson casting a very
particular spell with the moody atmospherics of ‘The Creeper’, ‘Noodlin
On The East Fork’ likewise boasting a vibrant sense of forward-motion
and energy.
‘Solo Guitar’ is a really well crafted record – it’s well balanced and
it never struggles to keep the attention of its listeners. It’s an album
that confirms Mark Fosson to be technically equal to many of the
genre’s biggest names and, likewise, he has no trouble in directing that
ability into charming, well thought-out pieces which slot together to
create a great album in ‘Solo Guitar’.
...unequivocally proves that he’s a guitarist that should, by rights, be
mentioned in the same breath as genre-overlords like Fahey and Kottke.
Martin Leitch - GIGSOUP - July 23, 2017

Fosson has dexterity to spare. His instrumental style is akin to his early mentor, the American “primitive” guitarist John Fahey,
to whose label, Takoma Records, he first recorded in 1976. From then to
now, critical appreciation and commercial appeal have run in parallel,
and while the fittingly titled Solo Guitar won’t change that, it is
nonetheless a breath of fresh air to hear such crystal-clear, fluid and
agile guitar playing.
Tony Clayton-Lea - IRISH TIMES - 27 July 2017

"With a musical timeline dating back to her early childhood, Laura
Baird is an exceptionally talented multi-instrumentalist and
singer-songwriter, best known for her projects with her sister, Meg,
as The Baird Sisters, and guitarist Glenn Jones. Baird’s own sound
stems from the Appalachian folk tradition, and she connects to it via
family lineage--her great-great uncle I.G. Greer’s folk recordings for
the Library of Congress are a large influence. Also woven into her
sonic influences are classical composers like Bach and Satie, and
modern day musicians such as Opal and Yo La Tengo."

"For her upcoming debut solo album, I Wish I Were A Sparrow, Baird
plays odes to the tradition from which she learned to play, combining
Appalachian balladry, the roughness of old field recordings, and a
dose of dreaminess and solitude that captures the distinct environment
of sleepy central New Jersey. This is where Baird departs from
tradition, leaving the communal origins of folk music and capturing
the singular self. An amalgam of old and new can be found in the
overall sound, as well as the lyrics, with half of the songs on
Sparrow, including "Dreadful Wind and Rain" and "Pretty Polly", being
passed down from the folk tradition, and the other half, including
"Wind Wind "and "Love Song From The Earth To The Moon" coming from
Baird’s own hand. While the most salient part of her last Baird
Sisters project was the melding of familial voices and various
instruments, Baird’s solo effort is centered around the combination of
her virtuosic banjo playing and prominent but airy vocals."

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Please join poets JP Cashla, Maryan Captan and the incomparable Philip Mittereder at a reading and launch party for Cashla’s 2nd collection Blister on December 2nd at Brickbat Books from 7PM-9PM. All three poets will be featured and alcohol will be served free of charge to anyone over 21.

All proceeds for the sale of Blister will go to the Baltimore Chesapeake Rugby Foundation for the benefit of Baltimore’s inner city youth.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Stop by to celebrate the release of Laura's first solo album on Ba Da Bing Records!

We'll have refreshments, copies of the new record, and Laura will be playing selections from her new record, I Wish I Was A Sparrow. Admission is free.

"With a musical timeline dating back to her early childhood, Laura
Baird is an exceptionally talented multi-instrumentalist and
singer-songwriter, best known for her projects with her sister, Meg,
as The Baird Sisters, and guitarist Glenn Jones. Baird’s own sound
stems from the Appalachian folk tradition, and she connects to it via
family lineage--her great-great uncle I.G. Greer’s folk recordings for
the Library of Congress are a large influence. Also woven into her
sonic influences are classical composers like Bach and Satie, and
modern day musicians such as Opal and Yo La Tengo."

"For her upcoming debut solo album, I Wish I Were A Sparrow, Baird
plays odes to the tradition from which she learned to play, combining
Appalachian balladry, the roughness of old field recordings, and a
dose of dreaminess and solitude that captures the distinct environment
of sleepy central New Jersey. This is where Baird departs from
tradition, leaving the communal origins of folk music and capturing
the singular self. An amalgam of old and new can be found in the
overall sound, as well as the lyrics, with half of the songs on
Sparrow, including "Dreadful Wind and Rain" and "Pretty Polly", being
passed down from the folk tradition, and the other half, including
"Wind Wind "and "Love Song From The Earth To The Moon" coming from
Baird’s own hand. While the most salient part of her last Baird
Sisters project was the melding of familial voices and various
instruments, Baird’s solo effort is centered around the combination of
her virtuosic banjo playing and prominent but airy vocals."